Search results

Start typing

This exhibition is in the past. View our current exhibitions.

'Affair with the Professor' by Anna Kisby

He tells me I’m not clever enough
for him. I bathe in tea
to lend my perfect skin
the gravitas of parchment.

He drafts his lines
on me. I admire the unintelligible
slant of his script; ripple
at the scratch of his nib. I learn

to make reams of myself: endless,
disposable, blank. When I speak
my words are chalky; traceless. He licks his fingers
as he turns my pages.

He folds me over
at the corners; leaves me waiting
for days. I crouch on the back shelf,
knees to chin; I am stuck as a baby

in breech. He says it’s complicated
then cracks me open. Inside, he finds
I am clearer than any text. I am something like
a cob-nut. Of this earth and simple
to split.


The income from your ticket contributes directly to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity. The aims of The Royal Collection Trust are the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational activities.